Where does “earn” come from?

Earn comes from Old English irnan, from Proto-Germanic rinnaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₃er-, ultimately related to the root seh₁- meaning to sow or scatter.

earn (English): To gain through applied effort or work; To...

Definitions

  1. To gain through applied effort or work; To...

Ancestry of “earn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishernenTo earn to accrue or receive payments
2Old EnglishirnanAlternative form of rinnan; to run
3Old Englishrinnanto run
4Proto-West Germanic*rinnanto run, to flow
5Proto-Germanicrinnanąto run, to rush; to flow
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ér-to move, to stir

Words derived from “earn”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ér- →